UPDATE 2 - G-7 summit concludes with deliberations on Russia-Ukraine war

UPDATES WITH CHINA, NORTH KOREA

By Anadolu Staff

ANKARA (AA) — The Group of Seven (G-7) summit in Hiroshima concluded on Sunday with deliberations on the Russia-Ukraine war and other hot-button issues.

The participants expressed "unwavering support" to Kyiv, Japan's Kyodo news agency reported, citing a statement issued at the end of the summit.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, at a press conference at the end of the three-day huddle, further shared the aim to achieve a nuclear-free world free from threats.

Kishida, who was also the chair, said the G-7 leaders shared what he called the "idealistic" goal of ridding the world of nuclear armaments, adding that threats to use nuclear weapons "must not be accepted."

He said the leaders agreed to further tighten economic sanctions on Russia to "undermine the country's capacity to continue its aggression."

Kishida said the group was ready to establish "constructive and stable ties" with China, which has stepped up efforts in recent years to bolster its military influence in the region.

He urged Beijing to "act responsibly" in the international community, without elaborating further.

Condemning North Korea's "unprecedented" number of ballistic missile launches, Kishida said the G-7 called upon Pyongyang to completely abandon nuclear weapons and its existing development programs.

The summit, he added, also agreed to keep putting pressure on Pyongyang to resolve the "long-standing issue of abductions of Japanese nationals by North Korea in the 1970s and 1980s."

- Ukrainian president

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also participated in the huddle.

The Japanese premier said Zelenskyy's in-person attendance at the summit helped send "a strong message" on the Ukraine crisis.

Zelenskyy, who landed at Hiroshima airport on a French government plane on Saturday, is set to hold bilateral talks with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida later in the day.

During Sunday's sessions, which were also attended by some leaders from emerging and developing nations, Zelenskyy is believed to have appealed for broad support from the international community, the news agency reported.

Many developing countries have avoided taking sides over Moscow's aggression against Ukraine, with some of them dependent on Russia, a resource-rich nation, for military and energy supplies.

Later in the day, Zelenskyy, who is making his first visit to Japan since the beginning of his country's war against Russia in February 2022, is expected to deliver a speech in Hiroshima, one of the two cities devastated by a US atomic bomb in 1945.

The Ukrainian leader also intends to hold a separate bilateral meeting with US President Joe Biden during his visit to Hiroshima.

It follows the Biden Administration's approval for Ukrainian pilots to be trained to fly F-16 fighter jets as requested by Kyiv.

On Saturday, the G-7 leaders released a communique in which they pledged to support Ukraine as long as the nation faces Russia's "illegal" aggression.

Zelenskyy met on the same day with leaders from countries including Italy, Britain, India, France and Germany.

- Black Sea grain initiative

Underscoring the importance of collaborative efforts to address the risk of scarcity and the worsening global food security crisis, the summit called on parties to ensure the maximum potential and smooth operation of the Black Sea Grain Initiative.

In the "Hiroshima Declaration for Resilient Global Food Security" issued during the summit, the G-7 leaders emphasized the world's risk of scarcity and the importance of working together to address the deteriorating global food security crisis.

The declaration noted that COVID-19, the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and volatile energy and fertilizer prices threaten global food security, and it highlighted that nearly 828 million people worldwide faced hunger in 2021.

It emphasized the need for access to affordable, safe, and nutritious food as a fundamental requirement, highlighting the importance of increasing predictability in markets and establishing sustainable systems.

"Our common goal is to build a better future for each individual, including resilient global food security and nourishment for all," it maintained.

- China rejects communique

China on Sunday rejected the communique adopted by the G-7 Summit in Hiroshima, accusing the group of countries of using issues to "smear and attack" Beijing and "brazenly" interfere in its internal affairs.

Reacting to the group's statement, China's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said Beijing "strongly deplores and firmly" opposes it.

"Taiwan is China's Taiwan. Resolving the Taiwan question is a matter for the Chinese, a matter that must be resolved by the Chinese," said the official.

"China firmly opposes interference by any external force in those affairs under the pretext of human rights. The G7 needs to stop pointing fingers at China on Hong Kong, Xinjiang and Tibet and take a hard look at their own history and human rights record," she added.

"Let me make it clear that gone are the days when a handful of Western countries can just willfully meddle in other countries’ internal affairs and manipulate global affairs. We urge G7 members to catch up with the trend of the times, focus on addressing the various issues they have at home, stop ganging up to form exclusive blocs, stop containing and bludgeoning other countries, stop creating and stoking bloc confrontation and get back to the right path of dialogue and cooperation," she concluded.